Missouri via Instagram

This year, due to busy schedules and whatnot, we decided to take our Summer vacation at our neighboring state of Missouri. At first, it felt like we might be cheating ourselves (and the kids) out of a wonderful experience, but soon enough we discovered two things: 1. there is LOADS to see and do in Missouri, and 2. the kids really don't require much to have the time of their life. It helped that my sister and her family were also there for a conference, so we got to spend a lot of QT with their kids.

I did bring my big camera, but duh, I forgot the charger back at the office, so I relied on my trusty old iPhone and my new favorite app, Instagram, to document our travels.

The bulk of our vacation was spent like this...



...which was fine by me because my biggest wish was to have a stress-free trip. Mission accomplished! I caught up on all the family gossip while working on my tan and watching the kids splash around in the water.

But, like I said, Missouri has LOTS of to offer. In between walking trips to Cheesecake Factory (yes, we had one that close to us!) and occasional drives to Starbucks, we did manage to catch a few local attractions and do a little sightseeing.

We were lucky enough to be able to catch the Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Now, if you have been a long time reader of my blog, then you already know how much of a fan I am of MoBo... so much so that I based a whole fabric collection on it! But the Chinese Lantern Festival takes the gardens to a whole other level of awesomeness!

We got there at 7 p.m. (an hour before they light up the lanterns) and were greeted by this:



Inside the park, we new it was gonna be awesome when we saw this:



And this...



And then it got dark and they lit up the lanterns and ohhhhh myyyyy!







I did bring my big camera into the park and got a few dozen shots before the battery died, so if I get a chance I might do a whole post just on this show later on, but if you are in the St. Louis area this Summer, do check it out! It was AMAZING!!!

The following day, we headed about 60 miles south to the Meramec Caverns... another must see in my book!

Yes, this photo was taken with my phone, believe it or not! Looks like a postcard, no?



It is that beautiful in there. I have tons more, but after a while they start looking quite repetitive, so I decided to keep it short & simple. ;)

We took a boat tour along the Meramec River and that was so much fun too.



Sydney was representing that day. (yes, I did take a picture of my 7 year old's butt with Instagram!) haha



The breeze was cool on the boat, even though the temps that day were in the high 90s!



The following day, we visited a local indie fabric shop, Fabric Nosherie (a.k.a. "The Nosh") and chatted it up with owner, Shannon. (below photo courtesy of Shannon)



This shop was seriously one of the coolest places I have stepped foot in. Just take a peek...







I found out while I was there that Laura Gunn was also in town and was scheduled to visit The Nosh that day. We seriously missed each other by about 2 hours... waaaaah! We are definitely planning a little something something for later on this year, though. Stay tuned!

And, of course, we couldn't leave St. Louis without spending a long and crazy afternoon at the City Museum. I've also blogged about this place before (oh my, the kids were so tiny the first time we went!)... total visual overload here!!!





After a long awaited trip to Ted Drewes, we headed back home ... full bellies, happy hearts and head full of great memories. This was one of our best vacations yet!

Where are you spending your Summer vaca??

On being a hypocrite...



If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook or even here on ye olde blog, you've probably noticed that I've been really absent on the social media front lately. I hate to use this as an excuse because really, it's all work-related, but I have just been swamped with work. All the new patterns go to print tomorrow so we are knee deep in editing and proofing this week. The book comes out in just 8 short weeks so we are finishing up the promotions and marketing plan which includes blog tours, parties and a very special schoolhouse session at the Spring Quilt Market. Throw on top of that my busiest fabric season EVER -- two lines and three different substrates! More on all of that soon.

But, as the last of the patterns are being proofed by Emalee I found myself with a few minutes to spare this morning, so I thought I'd update the blog, but with what? My brain is mush right now because of being torn in a million different directions, lack of sleep and what not, so I can't do a serious work-related post at the moment.

Been thinking a lot about parenthood and about how it changes you... one might even venture to say it makes you somewhat of a hypocrite at times. The things I used to roll my eyes at and even mock out loud when I was young and single, are the things I find myself doing (and proudly) now.

Case in point, before kids came around, I used to think New Years Eve was not New Years Eve without a rocking party and a killer hangover the next day. Now, I find nothing wrong with staying home with the family, letting the kids stay up till midnight for once (even if one of them doesn't quite make it) and hugging and kissing at the stroke of midnight. The 20-year-old me would've thought the 40-year-old me was uncool, sad and utterly boring.

But more recently, the topic of music came up. I admit that I'm definitely not a prude when it comes to music or TV. As a kid and young teen it was all about Madonna and George Michael and we all know what some of their lyrics were like! Then later on, it was darker genres of music... I was all about alternative and industrial bands. The lyrics of some of these songs are utterly disturbing... but I loved them! And somehow I turned out alright (or so I hope).

Now, when it comes to my kids, it's a totally different story. They were listening to Pandora last night, the Selena Gomez station. I was working on my laptop just a few feet away, thinking it was all cool and fun. Then a Rihanna song came on. It was Rude Boy. Now, I'm not a Pandora expert, but I glanced over and saw that they had the lyrics up on the screen... and Sydney was looking at them! Eeeeek! I jumped out of my chair and skipped the song so fast she didn't know what happened... it was like supersonic speed!

So, I started thinking today and a facebook conversation between family and friends was sparked about this. Ya know, I never intended to be a "freaky mom". I know all too well that kids will be exposed to things worse than this in life (through school, friends, TV, etc.) and I can't shelter them forever. I also know that it's better if they are educated about things and if they feel free -- and comfortable -- to ask us questions if they are ever confused about something. That's why, as they grow older, I hope they see Jon and I as "friends" besides just "mom and dad".

But a little part of me just can't help but be overprotective and want my girls to stay little and innocent for as long as possible. I mean, I just cringe at the thought of my 7 year old singing (even if it's in her head) "Come on rude boy, boy, can you get it up?" or "Sex in the air... I love the smell of it!" Eeeek! Just typing that made me get chills all over. And again... the 20-year-old me would've thought I was ridiculous. But then again, the 20-year-old me would've hated Rihanna for a whole other reason... too mainstream! ;)

All of this talk about kids growing up too fast got me thinking about the little things... the little accomplishments that are bitter-sweet. Like, for example, the first time they are able to take a shower alone. Sydney (7) just started showering unassisted about 6 months ago. Of course, one of us always sits right outside the bathroom door... just in case. I usually just bring my laptop and check email or something. But as much as this alleviates our workload as parents, it's a little sad when they don't need you for everything. Also, I know this is going to seem so trivial and dumb to anyone out there who doesn't have kids but, the first time they understand that they have to hold on to the cuff of their long-sleeved shirts or sweaters before they put their jackets on because otherwise the sleeve will ride all the way up... that day is HUGE! And I mean tear-jerking huge... as in, WOW, she's all grown up! sniff, sniff. Then I remember all the times I whined about why they don't understand that and I have to go and fix the situation. Am I alone?



Mark my words... this little one up there ^^^ is gonna be trouble one day (regardless of what music she listens to!)

Anyway, well... looks like Emalee is done proofing, so I need to go and make some edits now. It's been fun, but that's it for now, folks. Deep thoughts, by Patty Young. ;)

Thinking back and looking forward

We hosted Christmas at our house this year, which meant that all of my family from Florida came up and all of Jon's family from Chicago-area came down... luckily not all at once, so it wasn't super crazy (just a little). :) This was the first time in years that we had all of my family together under one roof -- well, actually, the first time EVER, if you take into account that our newest member is only 4 months old -- so we took this opportunity to try to get a nice family picture.

We all gathered at MODKID HQ late on December 22nd (after celebrating my sister's birthday), turned on the self-timer, and tried to get serious for a photo. Here's a look behind the scenes at our attempt to get everyone to stand in one spot, look forward, not close their eyes and smile for the camera (easier said that done, when you have 10 people ranging in ages from 4 months to 69 years!)



Of course, the kids behaved properly and did what they were told... can't say the same for the adults.











This one was almost perfect but baby Natalie was looking down and a few of us were looking, hmmmm... not so enthused.



So, with the help of my BFF (Photoshop) I took a face from here and another one from there, put them all together and... voila!



I drove my parents -- the last remaining guests at our house -- to the airport yesterday so now it's eerily quiet and a tad sad, so I'm trying to keep myself occupied with the piles and piles of work that awaits me at the office. Forgive me if you've sent an email that I haven't responded to yet. I promise I will get to it this week... or next!

I am really looking forward to this year. It's going to be a year of firsts in so many ways. This is the year I become a published author... YIPPEE!!! (and speaking of that, I didn't forget that I still owe you guys another book sneak peek... I'm working on it!). This is also the year in which I offer my fabric designs in more than one new exciting substrate... DOUBLE YIPPEE! (more on that soon, soon!) And lastly, we hope this is the year we grow our company beyond our wildest dreams. Ohhhh... we have so many plans and so many aspirations. My imagination goes non-stop!

I thank you all for your support in 2011 and I wish 2012 is the best year EVER for you too! Now, get back to work!! :)

Sophie's Hogwarts Party

My baby turned double digits this weekend. She was thrilled to be officially a "tween". I was filled with nostalgia and mixed emotions over how fast she's growing. I tried to fight the tears by keeping myself occupied with turning our house into Hogwarts for Sophie's 10'th Birthday Celebration.

Earlier that day (before the party started) she opened the family's presents, a.k.a. The Purple Tower, because she was just way too excited to wait till the party that evening.



Of course, she was way more pumped about some presents than others. ;)



Then it was time for the celebration to begin. Here's a wide view of our main area...



Let's take a closer look, shall we?

We had lots of candles and miscellaneous jars filled with curious objects...



A very gothic-looking platform held various test tubes filled with Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans (in reality they were regular jellybeans with funny names).



Gummy worms of every color made their appearance and some very spooky 2-ft. gummy snakes slithered their way in and out of the test tubes...



Favor boxes held pencils, lip glosses and some Harry-Potter themed gifts...



On our kitchen island there were potions and mysterious fluids. Don't worry, we didn't give the kids any alcohol... these were just for ambience! ;)



Although you wouldn't know it from this picture...



The first activity of the evening was the Sorting Hat Ceremony (see the end of this post for sources). The kids were utterly amazed that the hat actually talked!



Each girl was sorted into the four Houses...









Then we moved into the kitchen where the girls got to use their magic wands to turn clear liquids into surprise new colors. Each color meant something different. Green meant you could switch houses, which made the Slitherin girls very happy! haha



The Dining Hall was decorated in black and purple (Sophie's favorite colors) with candles and star-shaped confetti...



After dinner they decorated their own cupcakes in some Hogwarts colors...



Then it was time to open presents (again). I am always amazed at how much the kids enjoy this activity!





Awwww... hugs all around!







This little group of mischiefs was ready to watch a Harry Potter movie marathon....



And... this is what the adults did while the kids were in the basement, a.k.a. The Dungeon, watching Harry Potter movies, in case you were wondering.



Sources:

• Test Tubes, favor boxes and bottle labels: Martha Stewart's Halloween Collection (bought the day after Halloween for 75% off)
• Platform for test tubes: the styrofoam that held our flat screen TV inside its box, spray-painted black with holes cut into the top for the test tubes.
• Jelly Beans, gummy worms and gummy snakes: we purchased these from our local Chocolatier, which happens to be right around the corner from MODKID HQ (lucky me, eh?)
  
• Favor Box fillers, purple dinnerware and colored icing: Party City
• Sorting Hat: purchased on Amazon with a small walkie-talkie inside of it so Jon could sort the kids into their "houses" from another room. To let him know when each girl was ready to be sorted, Jon's brother Sean would text him.
• Color-changing drinks: squeeze 3-5 drops of food coloring onto the bottom of each cup and let it dry overnight. Before the game begins, fill each cup halfway with ice so the kids don't see the color drops. Give each kid a wand (drink stirrer) then fill the cups with a clear liquid (water, Sprite or 7-up). Tell them to use their wand to magically change their drink color.
• Wands: cocktail stirrers from Party City (on the clearance rack -- 16 stirrers for 50-cents!)